Tuesday, June 24, 2008

OK...today was an amazing day. I was able to either see or talk to 3 of my best friends, which does not usually happen all at once. I had lunch with Rhonda and it was wonderful. We have not had much time together lately due to hectic schedules.Then, I met Baby Jay for the first time. I wanted to meet him last week, but was not able to. Beth is doing wonderful and she was sooo calm. It was amazing. He is sooo precious and so is his big handsome brother. AG and W had a wonderful time playing together...it was really their first time since they have not seen each other since she was a baby baby.Then...on the way home I was able to talk with Amy...and Nor Nor who is super sweet and cute...she did get to eat at chic-ill-lay today "and" talked to the cow. How precious. My child is addicted as well. I think it is a girl thing...we went to the zoo a few weeks ago and Nor Nor kept running into things because she was not watching where she was going...my daughter does the exact same thing. Tug Tug on the other hand had it all under control. UM....GIRLS!!!Anyway...it was just a wonderful day and I am reminded of how blessed I am to have great friends whom I can laugh with and confide in. Thank you ladies!! I love you.

Monday, June 23, 2008

Ok...I knew that when my daughter was born she was going to be strong willed...I just knew...it is as if God spoke into my ear. I also knew and still know that she will have a heart after God...See I think that sometimes I am too difficult with things...but I did not just pick a name for my little one...Jason and I were riding down the road...we had only knew I was pregnant for 1 day and had not told anyone yet. We were already picking out names...we could only come up with one name...Anna Grace....that was it.. I knew at that moment I was pregnant with a girl. I just knew...no way to explain...just knew. Anyway, I loved the name Grace, but did not want her called Grace...So...Anna is mentioned in the Bible only once in Luke 2:36-38. "She served God with fastings and prayers night and day." This is what I want for my daughter..to be so in love with the Father..that she is willing to give all. It doesn't matter what time of day..she is willing to sacrifice for the Father who gave the ultimate sacrifice for her. Then, of course Anna means Grace so her name means GRACE-GRACE!!! At the time...I had not heard the name Anna Grace...now I hear it everywhere I go.It has been a battle the last few days for sure...she is trying our patience. She loves the NO word at the current moment. We are having to be patient, concistant and firm. It is not always easy, but I know that it is best for her. It is that "sin nature" rising up in her. I know that this too will pass. She loves devotion and prayer time, matter of fact she loves to pray already!!! She loves to dance and worship the Lord. So I know that she is already developing a love for God.I know that Satan has a plan for us and our little ones. Do you have a plan for your family. What are your spiritual goals? Are you daily working towards seeing those accomplished in your family? Many times we set goals for every other area, but not for our spiritual well being. It is time to rise to the occasion. No one else will look out for us and our families!!!Moms, I am not an expert..but want to challenge us all...do not grow weary in well doing. When we are facing issues...don't let our patience wear too thin...if we are going to "train our children in the way they should go," we have to explain things to them...we cannot discipline without explanation...why is this wrong? What does God's Word say about this? Are we modeling before them? "More is caught than taught!" The things we do will inturn be the things that our children do. Do we lead a life of devotion and prayer? Do not shut your children out of your relationship with Christ. Let them have prayer time with you...see you reading the Word of God. If they see how much you love to spend time in His presence...they will love it also. It is our job to train them and raise them up to be a generation on fire for God. It is not up to our churches to see this happen. It is the parent's place. So I encourage you to stand in the gap for your children now as never before!!Yesturday at church we had baby dedication...parent's giving their children back to the Lord..wow...the dance team did a song called "Revolution." ...It speaks of the children raising up and being used of God NOW rather than waiting until they become adults. It was powerful!!! WOW!!! We actually added children to it to make it more realistic to a generation that is being raised up in Christ.

Monday, June 16, 2008

I was talking to my friend Beth who just had a precious new baby boy of whom I will get to meet for the very first time tomorrow....we were talking about blogging...she is a real champ and one of the people who encouraged me to blog...

Why in the world would I name my blog MOOVE OVER MUNCHKIN???

Well, those of you who know me well...I make an "ALMOST DAILY" stop by Dunkin Donuts...let me add I am a fan of the coffee....my daughter on the other hand is a fan of the munchkins...she will see a sign a mile away and start to scream do-nut do-nut...I think it was one of her first 10 words...how sad is that?? They love her so much in there that I never have to pay for her munchkins and sometimes get my coffee free....When we come through the door...they say.."Here comes my baby!!" That means you are hooked if they know you by name and know your order....

As most of you know I had a good time dancing in college....Rhonda and I were a part of the Journey Team and would do interpretive movements....well...I'm still doing them...when Bethany World Outreach Center (BWOC) was started we started doing them each and every Sunday. We have moved into much more complicated stuff than "Shout to the Lord." Might I add...what a struggle to learn for Rhonda and I. Whew...we were in some pain...Now...We do more dance and I am somewhat of a champ...I am usually the LAST to learn the song....and the one most likely to mess up...HA!! You all remember the Scuffle Town days...Whew, what a mess for me!! But, when it came to freestyle..I had it going on. But, When God is in it...He takes it and makes it something as long as we are trying our best and ask for His annointing to flow through us.

AG loves music and moving to the beat...that should be no surprise to you. I have these videos at home of children doing dance and drama...she can do the entire thing...I am working on getting pics that I can put on here. She is sooo cute...I guess she sees me and the others practice way too much.

These are pics of some of us being silly after church after we had done "Freedom" by Jason Upton. If you are looking for a great CD that is power packed...that is a good one.

Yesturday was Father's Day....it was a great day...full of family fun. Hopefully soon I will be able to share some pics with you...I am having some technical difficulty getting them added...I think "I" am the technical difficulty.

Anyway....I was thinking yesturday of how we were honoring our Fathers....Think of what our Father's have done for us...it is amazing if we think back....but more than that..."What has our Heavenly Father done for us?" Our earthly fathers are wonderful and I would not be where I am today without my Father's love and guidance...but where would we be without the love and grace of our Heavenly Father??? Wow, what a concept! Did you thank your Heavenly Father and honor Him yesturday? It is more than words...we need to quit talking the talk and "walk the walk." That is the true evidence of the Father's work in our hearts and lives. It is one thing to say something and another to live it out. We should be contagious Christians..people that others want to be around because of the love that flows from our life.

I pray that if you have not accepted the Father's love for you...you will. You are His treasure and He died on the cross for You!!!! I am saying a prayer for you today. Be Blessed!!!

This is me holding L when he was almost a day old. Renee was going to be induced on October 8th...but L had different arrangements.....he could not wait to meet me....Renee and I went to Greenwood on Monday...her first day off of work so that she would have the week to prepare for L. Well....we were just shopping and having fun...but then we just felt like we needed to get home. She went home and called me around 8 PM and said I think my water just broke....needless to say I got all excited and jumped in high gear....we were up all night long. L was born over in the morning...maybe around 4 AM...October 2nd. Forgive me Renee....my short term memory is gone...just ask Rhonda. Renee allowed me to stay in the room during delivery, so L and I got to bond immediately. He is soooo precious. I love you, baby!!

This is AG already trying to "Little Mama" to L. She can be quite bossy and demanding. This was his first Sunday to church...we bought them matching outfits....AG had pink and L had beige. They are going to be super close... I just know it. AG loves L to death and I know this had to be the way I was when Corey was born. It must be the mothering instinct. I am still trying to tell them (my brothers) what to do. HA!! I don't get by with that anymore. I love you all!!!

Now this is one of my favorite pictures. It was the day of AG's dedication in September 2006. After church we met in Greenwood at Outback for lunch. This is Jason's entire family AND my entire family. That is one of the hardest things to accomplish, but we did it...at least this once. Thank you Lord for blessing us with such wonderful family!!! I am sure AG felt the love that day. On Jason's side she is the last grandchild (so far) of 9.

These are my parents...Pastors Rick and Theresa Knight. I am the oldest of 4. I am 29, I have a brother Corey (28), Jonathan (22) and Matthew (19). So needless to say AG is spoiled by so many uncles. Corey is married to Renee who have a little boy I will call L. He is 8 1/2 months old. L and AG are 13 months apart just like Corey and I. My parents feel like they did when Corey and I were born except for the fact that they can spoil and send home. Jonathan is married to Paige. They do not have children at this point. AND....Matthew is still waiting on Mrs. Right to come along. He is just having fun with friends.

This was the next day... I was finally able to eat....get a shower....with lots of pain and hold Anna Grace. I was glad to actually get a shower, get up and see people. It has always made me feel better even when I am feeling bad to get a shower and put my make-up on. Some people thought I was crazy...but hey whatever works.

I am going to add some photos to update you on the happenings of us. This is Jason, AG, and I a few moments after she was born. AG was due on August 28th, but she did not want to enter the world at that time. I went to the hospital on Tuesday at 4 PM and my water had started to trickle. They decided to induce me and finished breaking my water. I was in labor for 22 long hours and then I had to have a c-section. It was worth every pain and amount of time. AG was born August 30, 2006.

Thursday, June 12, 2008

I am very new at this and I have been trying to get things moving....I thought really you may want to know a little bit about me. I am 29 years old and I am married to the most wonderful man on the planet. We have a little girl who I will refer to as AG. She will be 2 August 30th. I do not know where the time goes. I have the wonderful privilege of being able to work from home. I am the children's and youth minister of Bethany World Outreach Center. I am so blessed to be able to spend each and every day with my daughter. She makes me sooo happy. I love being able to hang out with her and do what we do.

Throughout this blog I hope that you will be challenged...it is not about me...God created me and there are lots of things going on in my life..but I hope that I can point you to Jesus in all that I say throughtout this blog. I hope that my life is a reflection of Him!!!

Today has been an extremely good day. I have been busy around the house. As they say a mother's job is never done. I truely believe that. I have been cleaning out and decluttering this house. It is amazing at how much stuff you can let pile up if you do not stay on top of it. Mail is the worst.....we get soooo much mail....if we don't deal with it immediatly we have a mound of mail.Just like our homes...our lives can get cluttered with so much other rather than the things of God. It is important that we do not let other things crowd out our most precious time with the Heavenly Father who created us and cares for us so much. When we let these other things take the place of Him there is no room for Him. Our peace starts to slowly go away. We need peace...a peace that comes only from God. When we have a "cleaned out" life we can effectively love others and share the love of God. We can be the disciple that God called us to be. Wow!!! I hope that everyone has a wonderful Father's Day Weekend. We are spending time with family!!

About Me

My name is Amanda and I am one blessed woman! I have been married to Jason for 8 years. We have 2 children: Anna Grace is 7 and Noah is 3 1/2. I am a Children's Minister and a Homeschooling Mom. I never thought I would homeschool, but through much prayer and seeking God, we knew this was HIS plan and I had better get on board! We are now homeschooling 2nd grade where she is apart of Classical Conversations and we love it. Noah is currently homeschooling with us as a preschooler and is involved with most everything that we do....and of course, Daddy is at work during most of our schooling. He does a lot of nature, science and history things with the kids when he is home. He is such a wonderful husband and father! We are truely blessed!